THE GOOD SHEPHERD

*

This movie has been on my "to-see" list for a while. Finally got around to it. It is the story of the forming of the C.I.A. seen through the eyes of one man Edward Wilson (played by Matt Damon) from the Agency's days as the OSS in World War Two through the Bay of Pigs disaster in 1961. It was directed by Robert DeNiro who also plays a small part in the all-star cast including Angelina Jolie, Alec Baldwin, Billy Crudup, Michael Gambon, and many others. It has the cinematic look of The Godfather.

*

Okay, let's get down to it. This three-hour movie feels like a three-hour movie. I have grown to hate the "shaky cam" which is prevalent in so many films lately but this movie might have benefited from it. I understand this wasn't supposed to be a spy movie like James Bond or Jason Bourne. It was supposed to be like the way it really was. Or is. But this was a drag. There were several interesting bits like the adversary relationship between Wilson and his KGB counterpart and the mystery of Wilson's father's suicide. Overall, however, this was a slow-moving story with no fleshed-out characters worth rooting for. Or against. DeNiro should've gone back and looked at The Godfather 's characters. This movie really needed a passionate character like Sonny Corleone or even Fredo.